Alexandra Eala continued her impressive run at the Berlin Open after defeating Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-3, 6-4, on Friday night (Saturday in the Philippines) to advance to the semifinals of the prestigious grass-court tournament.
The victory marked another milestone for the Filipina standout, who reached the last four of a WTA 500 event for the first time in her professional career.
Coming off a stunning upset of world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the previous round, Eala sustained her momentum with another straight-sets triumph against one of the tour’s most experienced players.
The 21-year-old quickly established control of the match, racing to a 3-0 advantage in the opening set before extending the lead to 4-1. Svitolina managed to close the gap to 4-3, but Eala stayed steady and won the next two games to secure the set.
Eala continued to dictate play in the second frame. After building a 5-3 lead, she saw Svitolina hold serve to stay alive, but the Filipina sealed the win in the following game to complete the victory in straight sets.
The match was the first meeting between the two players.
Eala’s serve played a significant role in the result as she consistently won points behind her first delivery and struck several aces during the contest.
The Berlin campaign has further strengthened Eala’s reputation as one of the emerging players on grass. Earlier this month, she captured the WTA 125 title in Birmingham and has now posted an impressive record on the surface this season.
With Wimbledon set to begin later this month, Eala heads into the year’s third Grand Slam carrying strong form and growing confidence after a breakthrough week in Berlin.
The post Alex Eala upsets Svitolina, reaches Berlin Open semis first appeared on Fastbreak.
0 comments: